Ari Levitt visiting Portland, Oregon
April 25 - May 6, 2024
Ari Levitt is a world-class instructor, better known as the fun, energetic, and delightful teacher who can't help but infect his students with his own love and passion for dance, while at the same time instilling in them a much deeper understanding of the subtlety, nuance, and playfulness of lead-follow skills and close-connection in dance partnering. Ari has been partnering, teaching, and performing dance in the Greater Seattle area, nationally, and internationally for over 30 years. In addition, Ari is the co-founder and director of numerous international dance camps. More information: https://www.rolluptherug.com/bios.php
Ari will teach 12 wonderful workshops over two fun-filled weekends plus attend 5 wonderful dance parties and dance socials where we will play and practice together. Join us for these amazing days to learn from, and hang out with, Ari!
Friday, May 3rd
Workshops (Dance with Joy Studios, 8051 SE 16th Ave)
6:30 pm Workshop #1: “East Coast Swing Blending with Balboa, Blues & Tango” Register “Blending” is the art of borrowing moves from one dance style and seamlessly incorporating them into another dance style. In this workshop, using ECS as our foundation, you’ll learn how to break rhythms and harness moves from balboa, blues, tango, and foxtrot to create something new and exciting! Comfort with basic 6-count swing recommended. No prior knowledge of balboa, blues, tango, or foxtrot is needed.
8:00 pm Workshop #2: “Nightclub 2-Step & Salsa Fusion” Register “Fusion” is a type of contemporary social improvised partner dance that combines different dance styles to create a new aesthetic. In this class, we'll borrow several elements from salsa and show how they can be seamlessly blended into NC2S. Comfort with the basic NC2S steps and partnering assumed. No prior knowledge of salsa necessary
Portland Dance Eclectic Party (Dance with Joy, 8051 SE 16th Ave) *Pay at the door
9:30 pm Dance Party Social w/ DJ’s Ari Levitt & Dennis Myers Social dance with us to beautiful music! :)
Saturday, May 4th
Workshops (Dance with Joy Studios, 8051 SE 16th Ave)
1:00 pm Workshop #3: “The Art of Effortless Lead & Follow” Register In this very unique class, we deconstruct the physics of movement, flow, and frame in order to better understand how to achieve “effortlessness” in your lead & follow partnering. These concepts can immediately be applied to any dance you do and is truly the sweet spot for all social dance connection. In today's class, we'll be drawing mostly from blues, tango, fusion, WCS, and NC2S. Not to be missed! Perfect for both beginning dancers or for more experienced dancers who want to work on fine-tuning their partnering, connection, and musicality skills, or who would like to try some role-reversal. Open to all levels, no experience needed.
2:30 pm Workshop #4: “Waltz with Swing entwined” Register Learn how to incorporate some simple bal-swing movements into your cross-step waltz! So fun and spicy to do :) Comfort with basic waltz steps and partnering recommended, however no prior knowledge of swing is needed.
4:00 pm Workshop #5: “The Magic of Musicality in Blues & Swing” Register Take your creativity, expression, and partnering to a whole new level with this fabulous introduction to poly-rhythmic blues and conversational dancing! Learn how to move to various rhythms & textures within the music; learn to connect to the energetics & lyrical quality of the musical phrasing. (open to all levels, no experience needed)
Blues Eclectic Dance Party (Norse Hall, 111 NE 11th Ave) *Pay at the door
7:00 pm Pre-Dance Lesson: “Blues Fusion” In this playful pre-dance all-levels lesson, learn how the newest dance genre of “fusion” takes many of the core concepts and stylings from blues and then opens the door for even more creativity, improvisation, partner-play, and musicality. All are welcome. No knowledge of blues or fusion is necessary.
8:00 pm Blues Eclectic Dance Party w/ DJ’s Ari Levitt & Dennis Myers
Sunday, May 5th
Workshop (Dance with Joy Studios, 8051 SE 16th Ave)
1:00 pm Workshop #6: “The Magic & Deliciousness of Down-Tempo Swing/ Laminu” Register Fresh and hot from the swing clubs of Europe, Ari presents the latest styling to hit the swing dance community here and abroad, which are the wonderful and very relaxed steps & patterns you do with down-tempo swing. It's an absolutely lovely way to move and glide with your partner across the floor to the refrain of the slower swing songs and ballads (and one of Ari's favorite dance styles!). Come and see what it's all about! (Prerequisite: comfort with basic partnering in any dance style)
Sunday Argentine Tango Practica Feliz (Dance with Joy Studios, 8051 SE 16th Ave)
2:00 pm Sunday Argentine Tango Practica Feliz Register
Workshop (Dance with Joy Studios, 8051 SE 16th Ave)
4:00 pm Workshop #7: TBD “Balboa Swing” OR "Fusion & The Playful Art of Conversational Dance" Register Balboa is a delightful partnered swing dance from the 1920's & 30's, typically done to faster swing music, rags, and Charleston's. Put a new "zip" & "pop" into your swing by adding some simple, fun, balboa steps and combos to your repertoire -- It's the perfect way to push the envelope into new swing territory and to learn to dance quietly & effortlessly to fast swing or jazz music! It's also perfect to take with the 1pm Laminu class, since Balboa and Laminu are very close cousins, and very interchangeable. (Level: all levels)
Monday, May 6th
Evening dancing at Lenora’s Ballroom (Lenora’s Ballroom, 3300 SE Woodward St) *Pay at the door
8:00 pm Pre-Dance Lesson: “Dance Fusion” Come and explore the latest genre of social partner dance with this quick introduction to "fusion". Learn how fusion music greatly informs your choice of movement, and how it invites you to utilize everything you know from all the dance styles you do and incorporate them into a single song. Really fun stuff! Not to be missed
8:30 pm Lenora’s Ballroom Dance Party w/ DJ’s Ari Levitt, Eric & Dorothy
Tuition: $25 per workshop per person or save a little with $160 for all 7 workshops.
Dance Party Lessons & Dance Socials are a sliding scale of $20 to $10 per person. *Pay at the door <3